1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to building construction, and more specifically, to a positioning plate cooperative with a foundation anchor bolt to allow contractors to quickly and accurately position and secure anchor bolts within the masonry construction block foundation in order to secure sill plates to the anchor bolts and hence the foundation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Concrete blocks are used in the construction of foundations for both residences and commercial buildings. The blocks are constructed of two side walls, and two end walls, with a mid wall bisecting the block forming two hollow cores which extend in a vertical orientation when the concrete blocks are properly stacked.
The concrete blocks themselves are positioned on a base or footing and extend upwardly in rows, each successive row and each successive block being secured by mortar or cement, the blocks themselves being staggered over the two blocks immediately below.
The height of the foundation wall formed by the blocks may vary depending on whether or not the building is having a full basement or only a crawl space. Nevertheless, in all instances, the upper row of blocks must accommodate a sill plate, in the form of two by six wolmanized or treated wooden boards, or two by eight wooden boards, which are laid flat and which must be tied onto the foundation walls. This is accomplished through the use of anchor bolts which are secured into the hollow cores of the uppermost row of blocks by means of mortar or cement. The anchor bolt is generally L-shaped, having a short leg which forms its base with the long leg extending upwardly, out of the concrete, of sufficient length to pass through an aperture in the sill plate, this long leg of the anchor bolt being threaded at its end for receipt of a nut, thus securing the sill plate to the foundation.
Anchor bolts are required at the corners of any foundation on each side of any opening (access doors, windows) and are spaced pursuant to construction codes every several feet along a straight run of a foundation wall. Further, construction codes may allow for the anchor bolt to be secured in the uppermost row of the foundation wall, or more rigorous construction codes may require that the anchor bolt extend upwardly through two or more rows or layers of blocks.
Since the upper end of the anchor bolt is designed to pass through an aperture in a sill plate and be secured by a nut, and since there are multiple anchor bolts in spaced apart relationship for any one sill plate, if the anchor bolt is not properly positioned within the foundation wall, misalignment with the sill plate will occur, thus delaying construction and increasing the cost of labor.
Another problem associated with the prior art in the positioning of the anchor bolt was the filling of the core of the construction block. The core of the uppermost block on the top row may be in alignment with the core of blocks below it. Thus before positioning the anchor bolt, fill material of some sort must be positioned in this void defined by the cores of the construction block in order to provide support for the anchor bolt when positioned. Oftentimes scrap material, block pieces or other debris is pressed into these cores in an effort to provide a support base. This solution is haphazard at best. The contractor when positioning and securing the sill plate would often strike the anchor bolt with a hammer to determine its stableness. If the underlying support material was insufficient, then the anchor bolt would move, be displaced, or sink into the lower part of the wall and be unavailable for use in securing the sill plate.
Therefore there has been a need for a method and/or apparatus which allows for the accurate positioning of an anchor bolt in a foundation wall, which insures that the upwardly extending leg of the anchor bolt will be in a true orientation so that multiple anchor bolts can accurately engage and cooperate with a sill plate overlaid the upper foundation wall surface. Most importantly the bolt can no longer sink either because of gravity versus wet cement during bolt installation or when tested for strength with hammer by carpenter when installing the sill plate into the lower rows of block because the plate is beneath it.